Queen of Sweden Roses

History of Queen of Sweden Roses:

Queen of Sweden roses were first bred in 2004 in the United Kingdom by David Austin. David has over forty years of experience growing roses and he is widely regarded around the world as one of the leading experts in hybridizing roses. This particular variety was created by crossing the Charlotte rose with an unnamed seedling. The result is a light pink rose that has great apricot colored highlights.

The rose Queen of Sweden will produce blooms that will grow to just under 3 inches in diameter at full maturity. The blooms will be very full with over 100 petals each but they will have little to no fragrance to speak of. The plant itself will grow to around 3 to 4 feet tall when it reaches full maturity and it will spread out to a width of a little less than its height. This rose makes a great choice for cut flower arrangements and you will often find the rose Queen of Sweden grown in containers.

Growing Queen of Sweden Roses:

Growing the rose Queen of Sweden is pretty easy and if you have any past experience growing roses, then you should not find this one to be all that difficult. You should try to select a location for your roses that will get at least 6 to 8 hours each day of direct sun light. This is one of the most important decisions you will make for your roses. Roses require a lot of sun light if you want them to perform well and this variety is no exception.

You also will want to grow your Queen of Sweden roses in soil that drains very well. This is not a tough thing to accomplish but I am often surprised at how many growers overlook this important point. If you try to grow your roses in soil that does not drain properly, you may find that not only do your roses under-perform but they also will tend to become very weak and sickly. If you take a trip to your local garden center, you will probably find a wide range of soil mixes available, many of which are designed specifically for roses. Select the one that best suits your application and use that. Your rose Queen of Sweden will thank you for it!

Planting Queen of Sweden Roses:

Getting your rose Queen of Sweden into the ground is not a hard task and most growers can get this job done well with just a few basic hand tools. How you go about planting your roses does depend a little bit on how you originally purchased them. If you bought your roses from a local supplier, then chances are they were already planted in a container for you. These really are the easiest roses to plant because all of the guesswork has already been done for you. Dig your hole at least twice the diameter of the container and equally as deep. This will give you plenty of room for your soil mix while keeping the bud union at its original depth.

If you bought your Queen of Sweden roses online, then they may have shipped them to you as bareroot plants, which is not uncommon. You should first soak the roots of these overnight in a bucket of room temperature water, prior to planting day. Then dig your hole at least twice the diameter of the container and deep enough to let you set your plant on top of a mound of soil while keeping the bud union no more than an inch below the surface once planted.

Once you have your rose Queen of Sweden set in place on top of the mound, spread the roots out in all directions and then back fill the hole about halfway to start, using your soil mix. Take your garden hose and water the loose soil heavily until it flows around the roots like mud, then you can finish filling up the hole with soil. Give the soil one last heavy watering and be sure to top off any final settling that may occur but do not tamp down the soil. This method should make sure that you do not get air pockets around the roots.

Caring for Queen of Sweden Roses:

Taking care of your rose Queen of Sweden is not hard and once again, any past experience you may have growing roses will certainly come in handy here as well. You will need to make sure that you are providing your rose with enough water and nutrients while taking care not to overdo it. For most regions this usually means one deep watering per week. If you live in a hot or dry region, then you should check your roses every 4 to 5 days to be safe.

You also should consider giving your Queen of Sweden roses a dose of a granular all-purpose fertilizer in the very early spring when the leaves begin to open. This will get your roses off to a fast start. Like most of David’s creations, this rose is also a repeat bloomer so it can benefit from a couple additional feedings over the course of the growing season. I will usually give my roses their second feeding as soon as they have completed the first big bloom, then a third feeding sometime around the middle of the summer to encourage late season flushes. Your rose Queen of Sweden should do nicely on this schedule as well.

Pruning Queen of Sweden Roses:

You should prune your rose Queen of Sweden in the late winter or early spring, when the weather begins to warm but before the leaves start to open. This makes pruning so much easier. Start by removing all the dead and discolored wood from the plant and set your cuttings aside. Next, prune back any overlapping lateral canes from the plant so these will not compete for sun light once the leaves fully open. Lastly, give the remaining canes a cut back by about one third of their current height to promote new growth.

This is also the best time to clean up around the base of your Queen of Sweden roses and get rid of all the dead leaves and debris that may have collected there from the previous growing season. Throw this material away in the trash, along with all of your cuttings. Never let dead matter lay around your roses as it can quickly turn into a breeding ground for pests and diseases. Finish up your pruning by giving your rose Queen of Sweden a fresh new layer of mulch to start off the growing season.